South Asian Football League (SAFL) – POWER RANKINGS – Week 8

AK

We are over 2/3rd of the way through the season and somethings are clear to us, the obvious is that AK is once again uneqivocally the clear cut best team. They have all the elements of a near perfect team. Their QB play is spectacular. Their athleticism is off the charts.  Seemingly their nothing for them to do better. But is that really the case? We say no. No team plays at the highest level for 60 minutes at all facets of the game. AK while excellent in almost all things would be better served if they improved their defensive scheme. Playing man to man all the time takes a special group of guys and is admirable but it also means it’s easier to expose the weakest link(s). During the playoffs you can’t hide.

GATORS

The Gators are white hot right now. They are playing a brand of ball that’s rarely been seen in SAFL. They have not one, but two good QBs. They have the fastest pair of safeties in the league. Other than a close loss to AK,they are demolishing everyone. Their D is air tight. Their O is tied for #1. So what’s the one thing they need to improve? Their play calling on O. It’s very unimaginative. Relying on your WR to outplay their man based on their athleticism is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs where throwing lanes are clogged and coverage is air tight.

PRIME TIME

PrimeTime is exhibiting tremendous growth right before our very eyes. They’re doing this on the fly incorporating all league talent into an established culture. That speaks to their team management skills. They have two close losses this season to the two top teams and a signature win over the reigning champs. While the overall product has been good, the parts haven’t been performing optimally. On offense they rely too much on the big play when the simple more smart play is available. On defense they play almost exclusively zone,, but thier help rotation is sub-optimal exposing huge gaps in coverage.

BROWNS

The Browns showed incredible heart by fighting back from a 28-0 halftime deficit against a superior opponent to almost complete the upset. They are staying afloat behind the play of their QB who has played above reasonable expectations with half their team not showing up on a weekly basis. This team looks vulnerable now, but once they have their full team they will be dangerous. The offense is usually not the problem with this team. It’s the defense which can, to put it kindly, look like they don’t belong in this league. The quick fix for them is to play their best players and not necessariy people with seniority.

COBRA KAI

Cobra Kai is showing why they are legitimate contenders this year. They have a diversified offensive attack that exploits gaps in any coverage. They have tremendous athletes that can overmatch any scheme. Plus these guys can catch. Their QB is very smart and almost always makes the optimal throw. On defense this team often looks less than their best, appearing confused by simple routes. But all is not lost as this is a veteran team with major attendance issues. They will need to have everyone healthy and ready for the playoffs. Attendance is a skill and is a major determining factor for season end awards. Cobra Kai has many candidates for the vairous awards this season. It’d be a shame if one of their players didn’t win a richly deserved award simply because they didn’t show up enough.

THE ELITES

The Elites are now on a roll having won three in a row after a poor and confusing 0-4 start. These guys are playing together. They are playing loose. They are playing with unbridled enthusiasm. Frankly, we are a little jealous that we aren’t having this much fun in our mundane existence. The Elites are a middle of the pack team statistically but their recent trend is mostly positive. Two things we thing they need to improve for the stretch drive: 1) their QB takes too long to throw the ball. Hitting the first open guy is a good thing. Even if its for only 10 yards. 2) they are thinking too much on D. When you have an established base defense philosophically, the adjustments are more nuanced but meant to the be silently understood and addressed innately. These guys are over thinking it on this side of the ball.

BANDITS

The Bandits started hot and are now crashing down the standings. Players are publicly showing up their teammates for mistakes. This is not good. The 1990’s dot.com bubble didn’t crash this bad. The Bandits O has become unimaginative. The play calls are for a perceived D, not what they are actually facing. The defense needs a singular voice who understands coverage. All isn’t lost for the Bandits as they’ve already secured three wins. They just need to get back to basics and pretned the season has just started.

SAVAGES

The Savages have only one win but they picked up a huge win when an all league talent and their captain rejoined the team after missing the whole season. This team only has one win but many close defeats suggesting these guys are fighting like hell for 60 minutes. The plexiglass principal says that the pendulum will swing in their favor very soon. The Savages need more reps with their captain and a mental reset. They have three games left to formulate a plan of attack on offense and defense. This team can be dangerous but they need to stop throwing deep and get the ball to their play makers underneath and they need to play more man to man defense  to make it harder for thier opposition to march down the field.

RENEGADES

The Renegades are have some positives going for them: they have a very capable QB, they have veteran players who know the game, and they have played together for a long time. The Renegades on O move the ball but haven’t shown the necessary consistency to keep moving up the field and punching it in. That falls squarely on their QB for not slowing the game down mentally but playing with a sense of urgency. Most Renegades games this season haven’t been competite so minimizing opponent possessions must be inthe strategy. On D this team looks out of place. The simplest way to slow down your opponent is to play zone defense, which the Renegades do mostly, but playing zone defense means playing a certain piece of real estate and not bailing.

THUNDER

The Thunder put up a good fight against AK and they won the previous week. It’s no coincidence that the Thunder are playing better as they’re now getting consistency at the QB position. While their O is steadily improving we’re not seeing that same intensity on defense. They give up too many big plays for a team that plays zone. The quick correction would be to switch to a 2-3 base defense taking the long ball away and putting the onus on the athleticism o their up front defenders. They have a trio of talented receivers taht aren’t being utilized in optimal packages.